Proper installation of base cabinets is critical to the overall look, function and life of newly installed cabinets. Since the advent of modern cabinet fabrication techniques, cabinet installers have searched for better, faster, more convenient ways to install cabinets. Those experienced in the art, for many reasons, have relied on tapered, wooden shims to level, plumb and support base cabinets. There are numerous drawbacks associated with the use of shims. For example, they are cumbersome, they don't allow precise adjustment; and they require trial and error to use. They are very time-consuming and require the installer to work on his knees and elbows using a pry bar in one hand and a shim in the other. Shims absorb water which may wick up into the cabinets, causing damage and/or promoting the growth of mold.
Over the years, there have been many attempts to design a more functional, faster device to install (level and plumb) cabinets—one that would eliminate the use of wooden shims. The marketplace today is full of such leg-leveling devices. Examples of such devices include the various cabinet levelers available from Specialty Supplies, Inc. (www.specialtysupplies.com). Most of these devices achieve the desired results but they significantly increase installation time and angst. As a practical matter, the devices that are commercially available today are seldom used. They are difficult to use even for the most experienced installer and practically impossible for the average do-it-yourselfer homeowner.
The main reason professional installers do not like to use cabinet leveling devices is that they are very time consuming and difficult to work with. Most of these devices must be screwed to each inside corner of each cabinet and then adjusted individually while the cabinet is turned over on its top. The biggest problem with these devices that are attached to the inside of the cabinet carcass is that they are completely inaccessible from the outside of the cabinet. Thus, the cabinets are flipped over and set in place to evaluate if further adjustments need to be made. Most often repeated adjustments are necessary and require repeated removal and flipping of the cabinets in order to make these additional adjustments. The entire trial and error process is tedious, time-consuming and costly.
Another type of device that has been developed is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0124810 A1, naming Peter Cotto as inventor (“Cotto Publication”). While the device disclosed in the Cotto Publication has some advantageous features, it still suffers from numerous drawbacks, including the need for drilling access holes through the bottom shelf of the cabinet; the device is only accessible from the interior of the cabinet; it only levels one cabinet at a time; it requires removal of all internal shelving/drawers prior to installation; and it requires precise alignment with the drilled hole.
In spite of the many attempts to develop a better device and method, installers today still most frequently use tapered, wooden shims for installation. Yet they continue to seek a better, faster and more convenient solution that would get them off their knees and speed up the cabinet installation process. As described below, the present invention satisfies each of these needs in the art.